Chemical fire-extinguisher



PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

W. G. HIGKOX.

CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1903.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

V PATENTED B31316, 1904.

W; o. mcxox. CHEMICAL FIRE 'EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILE-D FEB. 17, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEETS.

N0 MODEL.

' No. 752,072.- I PATENTED PEB.16,1904.

w. c. HIGKOX.

CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1903. N0 HODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,072, dated February 16, 1904. Application filed February 17, 1903. Serial No. 143,846- (Ho model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. Hrouox, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Sayre,-

Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chemical Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic and manually-ope'rated fire-extinguishers of the general class disclosed in an application for Letters Patentof the United States, filed by'me September 18, 1902, Serial No. 123,950,

My present invention relates more particularly to the arrangement, of the acid-bottle, its construction, and the means for insuring its breakage upon the manual or automatic operation of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the acid-bottle; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view of the acid-bottle; Fig. 4:, a detail view relating to the three way valve and the nozzles connected therewith. Figs. 4 and 4 are further details of this valve. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified arrangement of nozzles and means for automatic control. Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig. 5, of another modification. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the controlling-valve when the movable nozzle is in a different position from that shown on Fig. 4

Referring. to Figs. 1 to 4, the main tank 1 is of substantially the form shown in my application above referred to, having a cover 2, provided with depending supports 3, from which are supported the hangers 4 of a cage 5, which contains the acid-bottle 6, the said vbottle having a conical lower end 7, the apex of which projects downwardly between a series of inwardly-extending fingers or points 8 of the supporting-cage, the said fingers being intended to aid in fracturing the bottle for the discharge of its acid contents into the contents of the tank. A plunger 9 extends through the cover, and the downward operation of this plunger is intended to efiect the breakage of the acid-bottle. The plunger. at its upper end has a handpiece l0, and it is associated with a lever 11, pivoted at 12 to a standard 13, ex-.'

tending up from and secured to a log 14 on the tank, the said lever at its intermediate portion resting upon a pin 15 on the plunger and at its free end being sustained by a fusible plug 16, extending through an opening in a standard 17, extending up from a lug 18 on the top of the tank, to which lug the standard is screwed. A spring 19 is connected with the lever near its free end and also to the top of the tank, the tendency of which spring is to draw the lever downwardly and thrust the plunger. down, so as to break the bottle. The plunger is adapted to have movement independent of this lever, for which purpose it is provided with the handpiece 10, above referred to; but it is held normally up by a spring 19, arranged between the handle and the lever. By striking the handpiece a blow or exerting pressure thereon it will be forced downwardly, and the head 20 on its lower end will strike a cross-bar 21 of a U shaped breaking device 22,- which comprises, in addition to the cross-bar 2l,vertically-extending arms 23, depending therefrom.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the acid-bottleis provided with grooves 24 in its opposite sides, and inthesc grooves the vertically-extending arms of the U-shaped breaking device are arranged. As shown in Fig. 3, the grooves 24 of the acid-bottle do not extend through to the bottom surface thereof, but terminate in shoulders 25, upon which the lower ends of the vertical arms of the U-shaped breaking device rest. It will thus be seen that when the plunger 9 is forced downwardly and strikes the U-shaped breaking device it forces the same downwardly, causing the lower ends of the vertical arms "to exert a pressure or strike result which-does not always occur by the impact of a plunger upon the upper end of the bottle, in which arrangement it might happen that the upper part of the bottle is broken and the lower part remains intact, thus retaining -a quantity of the acid.

As in my former application, I employ herenected to a pipe 30, extending into the tank and to the lower part thereof for the discharge of the fluid. A second nozzle 31 is connected with the casing 29 and is in fixed relation to thetank and adjacent parts. This latter fixed nozzle is in communication through the threeway valve and pipe 30 with the interior of the tank under normal conditions, so that should the plunger be operated at any time by the automatic device-z. a, the fusible plug 16 and the spring 19the fluid and gas will be discharged through the fixed nozzle 31. This nozzle is provided with a series of holes 32 in its end adapted to send the fluid in a plurality of directions to cover a large area. If, however, it is desired to direct the fluid by means of the movable nozzle, this is raised from its normal position, and in. this raising action it turns the plug of the valve 28 and cuts off communication between the fixed nozzle 31 and the tank, so that then the fluid will pass out through the pipe 30, the three-way valve 28, and the movable nozzle to the point desired, it being understood that the movable nozzle may have a flexible section to enable the stream to be directedto any desired point. Normally .the movable nozzle depends along the side of the tank and its'weight is sufiicient to turn the three-way valve so as to cut ofi? communication between this and the tank and open communication between the tank and the fixed nozzle. Y

I do not wish to limit myself to the form or arrangement of nozzles shown. It will be seen that the movable nozzle is in a sense an automatic controlling device, which when raised for the purpose of directing the stream cuts off the fluid from the fixed nozzle and.

opens communication between this and the tank for the discharge of the fluid.

In Fig. 5 I show an automatic arrangement whereby a tank located in one compartment or chamber may be controlled automatically from the temperature or by the presence of fire in another room and whereby also the extinguishing fluid may be directed from said tank into the other room. In this arrangement the automatic lever above described is supported by a rod 33, which in turn is sup ported by a fusible plug 34, located in an adjoining room, the said rod 33 extending through an opening 35 in the floor o1 partition. This fusible plug is suitably supported, and it in turn supports the rod 33 until the heat of the fire is suflicient to fuse the said plug,when the rod 33 will fall, causing the automatic operation of the extinguisher and the discharge of the fluid through the pipe 36,

41, suitably supported in the adjoining room or compartment, so that by the fusing of this plug or by burning the cord the weight 38 will be released and, falling upon the plunger 9, will break the acid-bottle, and the extinguishing fluid will be discharged through pipe 36 and sprinklers, as in the form last described.

It will be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the use of a spring as the means for automatically operating the lever, because a weight may take the place of the spring with equally good efi'ect or the two may be used together, the weight being slipped onto or hung from the lever, as indicated at X.

I claim as my invention- 1. Incombination in a chemical fire-extinguisher, a tank,'an acid-bottle therein having supports or ledges at or near its lower end and a breaking device arranged to contact therewith, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a chemical fire-extinguisher, a tank, an acid-bottle, means for supporting the same within the tank, a movable breaking device engaging the lower part of the bottle, the said supporting means comprising a series of points to aid in breaking the lower part of the bottle and means for operating the breaking device, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a chemical fire-extinguisher, a tank, an acid-bottle supported there- I in and means for breaking the said acid-bottle extending downwardly along the side thereof to contact with a portion of the said bottle below its top and means for operating the said breaking device, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a tank, an acid-bottle supported therein and a U-shaped breaking device having its arms extending down along the side of the acid-bottle and engaging the lower part thereof, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a tank, an acid-bottle having grooved sides with ledges or projections at the lower ends of the said grooves and a breaking device arranged 'in' the said grooves, substantially as described.

6. In combination a tank, an acid-bottle sup ported therein having a grooved side and a breaking device arranged inthe said groove and contacting with the lower part of the bottle to break the same, substantially as described.

-7. In combination a tank, an acid-bottle supportedtherein having a conical lower end, a

cage having inwardly-extending points to enscreen removably in place, substantially as de- I gage the conical lower end and a breaking described. vice extending down along the side of the bot- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in tle and 1engagginfig a poirtion bthiereof below its presence of two witnesses. top, S11 stantia, y as escri e q 8. In combination with a tank, an acid-bot WILLIAM HICKOX' tle, a cage for supporting the said acid-bottle Witnesses: and-a screen inclosing the cage with clasps to DAVID L. FIELD, fasten on upper edge of cage to hold the s G, S. GAY. 

